No. 1 Connecticut Routs Rutgers

Women's Basketball

No. 1 Connecticut Routs Rutgers

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Maya Moore had 19 points and 10 rebounds to help top-ranked Connecticut win its 59th straight game with a 73-36 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday night.

Kalana Greene added 17 points for UConn (20-0, 7-0 Big East), which has won every game during its streak by at least double digits.

Even Rutgers, which has been the only real nuisance for UConn in the conference over the last few years, was no match. The Scarlet Knights were the last team to beat Connecticut during the regular season, topping the Huskies in New Jersey by two in 2008.

On Tuesday, they could only stay close for 8 minutes before UConn used a 20-2 run to put the game away.

Chelsey Lee scored 10 points to lead Rutgers (12-8, 4-2).

UConn, which stands only 11 wins short of the NCAA and school record of 70 straight victories, has now beaten 129 straight unranked opponents.

This is the first time in five years that the two teams aren't playing twice during the regular season. The Big East switched the matchups before the year so that Rutgers will play Syracuse twice and UConn will face Notre Dame two times.

During that stretch the Scarlet Knights have been one of the only Big East teams to beat the Huskies. UConn has 70 straight conference wins against teams other than Rutgers, since losing to then-member Boston College on Feb. 26, 2005.

The Huskies have gone 8-4 against the Scarlet Knights during that stretch. Rutgers did all it could to frustrate UConn on Tuesday night, trailing only 10-8 nearly 8 minutes into the game. UConn missed 12 of first 16 shots and seemed flummoxed on offense.

But the Huskies, as they have during almost every game during this incredible run, got going offensively and took over. Tina Charles started the burst with a driving layup and Moore followed with another layup. She had nine points during the spurt.

April Sykes scored the Scarlet Knights' only basket during the 8-minute run, but that only made it 19-10. Moore answered with a 3-pointer and Rutgers would get no closer the rest of the game.

By the time the game reached the half, Connecticut led 40-15. It was the fourth straight conference game that the Huskies have held an opponent to 20 points or less in the first half. Rutgers didn't help itself shooting just 7 for 30 from the field for their lowest offensive output of the season. Without Lee and Sykes, Rutgers made just 1 of 18 shots.

Leading scorer Brittany Ray, who averaged 16.6 points coming into the game, was held to just three on 1-for-11 shooting.

The game was the first in conference history to feature two Hall of Fame coaches with C. Vivian Stringer getting inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this past September. Geno Auriemma was inducted in 2006.